Sunday, February 25, 2024

What's That Awful Smell in the 2005 Motorhome We Bought in Mexico?

The Bedroom Reeks!

Jon and I wanted a project, and we got one—more than we bargained for! When we bought our 2005 Minnie Winnie, we had no idea how many issues had been disguised. We keep reminding ourselves that we purchased it for a reasonable price.

October 1, 2023: Soon after we brought the RV home to Little Rigs RV Park in La Peñita de Jaltemba, Nayarit, we realized the cat urine smell was overwhelming. I spot-cleaned the carpet and treated it with an entire bottle of Nature's Miracle Spot and Odor Remover, an enzymatic neutralizer. A month later, I repeated the entire process. It wasn't going to work!

Two Bottles of Nature's Miracle Wasn't Enough

November 9, 2023: So, we tore most of the carpet and padding out. I cut out and removed the bulk of the stinky mess, and Jon used a razor blade to trim under the bed and closet.

Cutting the Carpet Out of the RV Bedroom

Luckily, the bathroom vinyl had been run under part of the carpet, preventing the urine from soaking into too much of the plywood floor. I cleaned the vinyl and wood floor with a Fabuloso solution—that works for disinfecting everything in Mexico, right? It helped get the filth out.

Dirt and Urine Under the Carpet Before Fabuloso

After it dried, I threw two area rugs on the bare plywood floor. That would work until we could finish the prep work and install new vinyl planks that look like wood—Dream Wood by DuraPiso from Home Depot. Whew, the odor is 95% gone! FOR THE MOMENT…

Time for a shower and some pool time!
Pool Time at Little Rig RV Park, La Peñita

December 5, 2023: The smell was back! We decided to paint the floor with the Behr paint from Home Depot to seal in the odor. It took me three days to mask-tape the edges and then paint and seal the bedroom floor in the motorhome. No more cat urine smell😄. It is ready for Jonathan to install the vinyl plank flooring! OR SO WE THOUGHT…

I Painted Every Nook and Cranny of the Plywood

January 5, 2024: Well, cr*p! Another lesson learned. That paint sure looked good on the motorhome floor. But then, Jon discovered the adhesive we had purchased to apply the vinyl plank flooring wouldn’t stick to the paint.

The RV Bedroom Floor is Painted and Drying

So, we started sanding it off. After one day of using sanding blocks, we walked to the hardware store and bought an orbital sander. Getting enough of that paint/primer off for good adhesion would take a lot of work. Why do we always have to buy the best paint Home Depot carries?!😩 

Jon took another walk to the hardware store to purchase 40-grit sandpaper, the roughest he could find. Oh well, our projects keep us busy and provide exercise. 

Jon Using the Orbital Sander and 40-Grit Sandpaper

January 18, 2024: Yeah! We’ve finished sanding and filling holes in the motorhome’s bedroom plywood floor! It’s all vacuumed, mopped, and drying. Time for us to rest for a few weeks at our condo in Puerto Vallarta before we lay the new vinyl plank flooring. That was a bear of a job🥵!

A Relaxing Dinner at Cuates y Cuetes in Puerto Vallarta

February 8, 2024: We finally got the correct adhesive for our RV vinyl flooring delivered from Amazon Mexico. It took a call to the Roberts company to learn that the first two adhesives Home Depot sold us were wrong.

February 17, 2024: Retirement for us means choosing our projects. Jonathan was happy working on his yesterday while it rained. He cut about half of the pieces of vinyl plank flooring for the RV bedroom. He’s doing a great job!

Dream Wood Vinyl Planks are 3 Feet Long and 1 Foot Wide
Jon Measuring and Cutting Vinyl Plank Flooring

Jon has Parkinson’s disease, which has caused his muscles to weaken, including those in his eyes. He works hard to keep in shape, but one frustration for him is that his eyesight has deteriorated. He has to use a flashlight to see the fine measurements.

February 21, 2024: 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗹𝗲!

Jon cut and placed the last piece of the vinyl plank flooring on the motorhome floor. Then, we numbered each of the eighteen sections with a piece of blue tape in the order that he would glue them in. I took photos of the numbered pieces so we could piece together the puzzle when it was time to adhesive. We removed each of the sections and stacked them in reverse order. Bare wood again, ready to adhesive it and lay the vinylmañana! 

Jon Finished Cutting the Complex Piece for the Corner

Each Piece is Numbered and Photographed Before Removing

We needed a day off to play. Dinner and rock ‘n’ roll music at El Amigo Vargas on the beach in Rincon de Guyabitos was a nice change of pace.

February 22, 2024: Jon started gluing the vinyl plank siding to the bare plywood. He did it in three sections, dividing the job between several days. After spreading the adhesive in the space marked for five pieces, he waited the recommended twenty minutes and started installing the numbered sections according to the placement shown in the photos.

Jon Spreading Adhesive with a Special Trowel

February 24, 2024: After a hard morning of gluing the second section of vinyl plank flooring in the motorhome bedroom, we decided to take a day off and rest. We went to play in the pool, now a comfortable 85°F. Jon loves pool volleyball with the gang at the RV park! Then we walked to town for groceries and on to Avanti Restaurant for a delicious salmon dinner.

Jon and Other RVers Playing Pool Volleyball

February 25, 2024: Finished! Jon applied the last pieces of vinyl flooring, and we stripped the masking tape. All we have to do is clean the dried adhesive off the floor using mineral spirits and then mop it clean. It looks great! And it smells good, too—no more cat urine smell.

Installed Dream Wood Vinyl Plank Flooring

Installing vinyl plank flooring in the motorhome bedroom was a good project for mental and physical well-being, though difficult. I told Jon that I hope the next one he chooses is a lot easier. His Parkinson’s disease slows his progress, but he doesn’t let it stop him! He reminded me that I chose that project when I hacked the first hunk out of the carpet. We agree it was worth the work, though we learned a lot of lessons.

To read about More Lessons Learned, check out the latest in my Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico book series, available in all Amazon markets. In Canada, see it HERE.


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